1st Grade Dinosaur Unit: Finished!

This week we've finished up our dinosaur unit in 1st grade.  What's really great, is that next year, when the teachers are following the Core Knowledge curriculum for the Common Core listening strand, this will fit PERFECTLY for their last unit, which is about the history of the earth.  In that particular unit, students will be learning about the inside of earth, the outer layer of earth, rocks and minerals, and fossils and dinosaurs!

I've uploaded my unit, rubrics and power point onto the smARTteacher website, so feel free to pop over and check it out!

Anyways, I've already shared our finished fossils, but here are the other two projects we did.

After we created our fossils, we made a dinosaur quilt.  I demonstrated to students how to draw an up-close view of a dinosaur.  We looked at and discussed how to create the illusion of dinosaur skin texture in our drawings, which was the point of this particular project.  Here's one of our finished dinosaur quilts...the other one still needs to be put together.  I think I may keep this as an auction item for the end of the year...

Our final project was to draw a dinosaur world.  We spent a class period practicing drawing dinosaurs using shapes (which builds upon my shape animal unit) using these hand-outs I found via Pinterest.  (My packet of these are on smARTteacher.)  The requirements for the final drawing were as follows:
     1.  Draw at least 3 large dinosaurs with texture.
     2.  Create depth in your drawing (using multiple horizon lines).
     3.  Draw an appropriate environment for your dinosaurs (no grass, ferns, volcanoes, lakes, etc.)
     4.  Use good craftsmanship when coloring.

I must say that I am extremely happy with their drawings!  I think I have a pretty talented group of 1st graders this year and I can't wait to see their progress as they move up through 6th grade!

My display in my corner case...I threw in some seashells with the fossils.  If I had my own dinosaurs, I would have put them in the case too, but I borrowed the dinosaurs we used for the fossils from my principal's son...